Treadmill

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 15, 2011

NEW HAVEN — Anne Worcester's days are only going to get longer leading up to the New Haven Open at Yale tennis tournament. And already, the tournament director realizes she doesn't have as much stamina as she used to, when she could work 80-hour weeks before and during the then-Pilot Pen tournament. Worcester, 50, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. She had surgery in April and was back to work full time in June. Still, she will likely be the first one to walk on the pink CYBEX treadmill at the tournament as part of a fundraiser for local breast cancer charities.

Two months into 2014, let's assess your get-fit New Year's resolution. It's not that complicated. If you're in better shape than your earbuds at the end of a rigorous Zumba workout or a solitary treadmill session, then you're on your way to a fitter year. But those earbuds that keep popping out during every sweat fest should be reassigned to lighter duty, like audiobooks. (Next stop: "Up From The Grave: Night Huntress. ") For workouts, you need earbuds that won't slip, slide or fall from the ear. Those qualifications make Audio-Technica's SonicFuel ATH-CKX7iS ($69.95)

Although everyone knows of basements and rec rooms with idle exercise equipment, there are also homes where the equipment gets plenty of use. The owners have selected the right equipment to make exercise part of their daily routine. They've made the machines "work out" for them. "It's my relaxation at the end of the day," says Dr. Harry Eudowe, an endodontist and marathoner who lives in New Haven. "My time to unwind, be alone. I work 10 hours straight, 6 inches from people's faces."

Muscle can turn into fat, lifting weights makes you look like Arnold, and a thousand crunches a day will give you a six-pack. Yes, fitness myths are many, and they are persistent â" like mosquitoes on a late-summer night. And they haven't changed much over the years, according to Shirley Archer, a fitness and wellness educator with the American Council on Exercise. "People are always engaging in wishful thinking that they can transform their body with minimal effort," says Archer, who has written many books on health and fitness.

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 22, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki ran steadily on the pink-edged treadmill Sunday afternoon, her blond braid swinging behind her while New Haven Open tournament announcer Wayne Bryan entertained the crowd. "How many think she will win her fourth title?" Bryan said. The crowd, gathered around the treadmill booth in the tournament's picnic area, cheered. "How many think she will be too tired to win the tournament?" Bryan said. The crowd laughed. "You should get up here," Wozniacki said to Bryan.

A desire for better health through exercise is why Patricia Zito says she went to a Waterbury sporting goods store in 1997, according to a lawsuit she filed in New Britain Superior Court. What she ended up with were cuts, bruises, sprains, pains, depression and other ailments, all because a clerk revved up an exercise treadmill so fast that she fell down while testing it on July 18, 1997. Zito also claims the unidentified clerk at first laughed when she fell face first, saying her mishap was "funny" and that it reminded him of "the Three Stooges."

By PAUL DOYLE, pdoyle@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 25, 2011

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, in Connecticut to watch his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki play in the New Haven Open, hit balls at the practice range at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell Wednesday. McIlroy has been at the Connecticut Tennis Center the past few days. Wozniacki, the No. 1 player in the world, is the three-time defending champion at New Haven. On Wednesday afternoon, McIlroy tweeted "Massive thanks to TPC River Highlands for letting me use their facilities today!

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, October 15, 2011

It's hard to train for a marathon on a submarine. It's even harder when the guys driving the submarine angle it upward, sometimes just to mess with runners on the sub's treadmills. "We would have help from our shipmates who were driving the ship," said Eric Mathley, chief of the boat for the USS Hartford, now docked at the sub base after a month at sea. "They would put an up angle on the ship but stay at the same depth. It was like putting your treadmill up to a 3 or a 4. " "Yes, they were helping us out. Making us stronger.

A ninth-grade student at Darien High School collapsed while running on a treadmill and died Friday night, Principal Dan Haron said. Andy Peña, a member of the school's track team, was in Boston with his family to attend his younger brother's swim meet, Haron said. A prayer service and vigil will be held at 7 p.m. at St. John Parish in Darien. A Facebook group was set up in Peña's honor. We tell you what's happening, when it happens, for FREE: Sign-up for Breaking News Mobile Subscribe to our Breaking News E-mails Try the News@3 Newsletter

COMMON Finding Forever G.O.O.D./Geffen Shilling for Converse sneakers puts an end to his reign as king of socially conscious underground hip-hop, but Common had outgrown the role anyway. The Chicago rapper steps fully into the mainstream with his latest, a lyrical showcase for his smart, well-built rhymes. "Finding Forever" is also a weighty album with a serious tone, and no wonder: Common seems intent here on honoring the memory of his friend J Dilla, a respected rap producer who died last year, by making sure these songs are jammed full of significance about life, the universe, everything.

Can't squeeze into your jeans? Not happy with what you see in the mirror? For consumers whose New Year's resolution is to eliminate unwanted inches and pounds, Consumer Reports has the skinny on shopping for home exercise machines such as treadmills and ellipticals. CR recently evaluated 35 treadmills and 18 elliptical exercisers. The top-rated nonfolding treadmill, the Precor 9.31, costs $4,000 and offers excellent construction. But consumers on tighter budgets can find solid choices in the nonfolding Sole S77 at $1,900 and the folding ProForm Performance 600 and Horizon T202, both $800.

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, October 15, 2011

It's hard to train for a marathon on a submarine. It's even harder when the guys driving the submarine angle it upward, sometimes just to mess with runners on the sub's treadmills. "We would have help from our shipmates who were driving the ship," said Eric Mathley, chief of the boat for the USS Hartford, now docked at the sub base after a month at sea. "They would put an up angle on the ship but stay at the same depth. It was like putting your treadmill up to a 3 or a 4. " "Yes, they were helping us out. Making us stronger.

By LORI RILEY and PAUL DOYLE, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 27, 2011

Attendance at the New Haven Open was down by over 20,000 from last year's Pilot Pen, but tournament director Anne Worcester said the decline was related more to the weak economy than to not having the men's competition be a part of the tournament. "If you look at every other tennis tournament — most sports attendance — ticket sales are down," Worcester said. "Going into this summer, we knew we were up against this continually bad economy. There were a handful of box holders who didn't renew and they said it was because of the men. "And of course, when you have an earthquake, even though the building inspector, the engineer and the structural manager deem it safe and sound, in those two hours, in the hours after the evacuation, there were a lot of people who didn't show up here on Tuesday night and possibly the rest of the week.

By PAUL DOYLE, pdoyle@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 25, 2011

U.S. Open champion Rory McIlroy, in Connecticut to watch his girlfriend Caroline Wozniacki play in the New Haven Open, hit balls at the practice range at the TPC River Highlands in Cromwell Wednesday. McIlroy has been at the Connecticut Tennis Center the past few days. Wozniacki, the No. 1 player in the world, is the three-time defending champion at New Haven. On Wednesday afternoon, McIlroy tweeted "Massive thanks to TPC River Highlands for letting me use their facilities today!

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 22, 2011

Caroline Wozniacki ran steadily on the pink-edged treadmill Sunday afternoon, her blond braid swinging behind her while New Haven Open tournament announcer Wayne Bryan entertained the crowd. "How many think she will win her fourth title?" Bryan said. The crowd, gathered around the treadmill booth in the tournament's picnic area, cheered. "How many think she will be too tired to win the tournament?" Bryan said. The crowd laughed. "You should get up here," Wozniacki said to Bryan.

By LORI RILEY, lriley@courant.com and The Hartford Courant, August 15, 2011

NEW HAVEN — Anne Worcester's days are only going to get longer leading up to the New Haven Open at Yale tennis tournament. And already, the tournament director realizes she doesn't have as much stamina as she used to, when she could work 80-hour weeks before and during the then-Pilot Pen tournament. Worcester, 50, was diagnosed with breast cancer in March. She had surgery in April and was back to work full time in June. Still, she will likely be the first one to walk on the pink CYBEX treadmill at the tournament as part of a fundraiser for local breast cancer charities.

Taliek Brown had the cast removed from his broken left index finger Wednesday. He was fitted with a specially designed splint made to curtail certain movements but allow others. The junior guard has been able to work out with a ball, and was at practice Thursday doing conditioning drills and riding an exercise bike. Brown must wait for stitches to be removed and swelling to go down before he will be able to play. Brown broke the finger Feb. 5 in the second half of UConn's loss at Virginia Tech.

KORKY VANN'S DEAL OF THE DAY: 'Portraits Of Love' JC Penney is offering a "Portraits of Love" promotion for families of deployed service men and women. The deal includes a free sitting fee and two free portrait sheets. (One will be shipped to the military member's APO.) Valid military ID required. Offer is good through Oct. 31. Information: JCPportraits.com/offers/portraitsoflove.html . For more deals, go to courant.com/savvyshopper. Remembering Pat Tillman Yale University holds a free sneak preview screening of "The Tillman Story" Saturday night at 7 at the Whitney Humanities Center on the campus in New Haven.

A ninth-grade student at Darien High School collapsed while running on a treadmill and died Friday night, Principal Dan Haron said. Andy Peña, a member of the school's track team, was in Boston with his family to attend his younger brother's swim meet, Haron said. A prayer service and vigil will be held at 7 p.m. at St. John Parish in Darien. A Facebook group was set up in Peña's honor. We tell you what's happening, when it happens, for FREE: Sign-up for Breaking News Mobile Subscribe to our Breaking News E-mails Try the News@3 Newsletter

Lifeguard Sam Allison poked and pinched. He shouted at the man whose 238-pound body was wedged between a treadmill and elliptical machine in the fitness room at Cornerstone Aquatics Center. The man's face was tinged blue, and the lone signs of life were violent gasps that sounded like loud snoring. That noise was dwindling. Less than a minute earlier, Trinity College history Professor Eugene Leach had collapsed from sudden cardiac arrest, a leading cause of death in the United States.